Military Counselor could clearly hear the sounds of flowers blooming.

The sounds were light and dense. Plants took root, broke the ground, sprouted, and finally bloomed. They spread the weak but unstoppable vitality and joy to every corner of Mount Qingyun.

An intense fragrance a.s.saulted his nostrils.

Infinite white mist wantonly rolled in the mountain and surged into the main hall behind the gate of the temple.

The light of the morning dispelled the deep darkness.

The sky gradually brightened.

The white mist began to disappear.

The dilapidated and depressed Mount Qingyun was thriving again. Flowers and trees filled every corner of Mount Qingyun and crowded every road of the mountain at that moment, which seemed to be both eternal and fleeting. Unimaginable vitality permeated the air, and there were even flowers all over the walls of Qingyun Temple.

Amidst them, Military Counselor’s eyes were occupied by a sea of flowers.

It was the first time he had seen such a scene.

The scene that violated the laws of nature and was almost mythical occurred only because of fate.

Fate was mysterious and indescribable. It wasn’t something that could be told in detail, but it indeed existed.

The petals of the flower made by the dragon vein resurrected Li Tianlan. Furthermore, its roots and stem revived Mount Qingyun, like a miracle.

Military Counselor was left in awe.

Great Master Wuwei’s body was almost covered with flowers in cl.u.s.ters. His body and face were withered entirely, making him look like a human skeleton. However, his pair of dim eyes, which had seen much of the changes in human life, still appeared calm and gentle.

He had antic.i.p.ated such a scene, such a familiar one.

Many years ago, when he pumped the dragon vein of Zhongzhou State out to resurrect another person, somehow, he seemed to have seen his end and destiny.

That time, he did not give the man the flower but gave him many years.

He was impartial.

He had a clear conscience.

“What an amazing flower made of the dragon vein it is!”

Military Counselor’s voice was trembling with excitement. “What I have seen today is really unimaginable. You’re truly an immortal, Master.”

The white mist was getting thinner.

The resurgent Mount Qingyun revealed itself.

Among the flowers, Great Master Wuwei smiled weakly and said softly, “It’s a pity there are no stamens.”

“What is the stamen?” Military Counselor asked.

He had just noticed the flower made of the dragon vein, which had roots but no leaves, petals but no stamens. That flower was way too strange. He felt that it was like a broken flower, not a complete one.

The dragon vein was undoubtedly incomplete.

Great Master Wuwei drained the dragon vein of Zhongzhou State himself in those days and had been trying to regather it over the years. But there was a Taoist priest who had been doing the same thing as he did.

However, it didn’t matter.

“Stamen is the foundation,” Great Master Wuwei replied weakly.

…

Military Counselor’s heart quivered.

He thought of Li Tianlan.

He didn’t know what had happened to Li Tianlan’s battle strength in Changdao, but he was not far from Li Tianlan back then. Therefore, he could feel what happened exactly the moment Li Tianlan went straight into the Invincible Realm.

Just in a split second, Li Tianlan directly destroyed his foundation in exchange for the craziest outbreak of power.

“The flower without foundation saved the one who has no foundation.”

There seemed to be some satisfaction in Great Master Wuwei’s eyes. He looked at the sea of flowers and said softly, “From now on, Tianlan himself is his foundation and that of the dragon vein of Zhongzhou State as well.”

The dragon vein that he regathered was incomplete, but it already had the foundation. It really didn’t matter how much Xuan Xuanzi possessed.

To become the foundation carrying a country’s fate.

To possess the dragon vein.

In this state, Li Tianlan’s fate was so sufficient that it was difficult to see this for hundreds of years.

Regathered the dragon vein.

Restarted the flourishing age!

Great Master Wuwei looked up at the sky.

His sight grew blurred, but his smile grew more distinct.

“Perfect,” he whispered.

…

…

The footsteps resounded inside the gate of the temple, soft, gentle, and unhurried.

Military Counselor looked back instantly.

The thick, white mist enveloped the whole Qingyun Temple. There was nothing to be seen but the white far and wide. He could not see anything.

Li Tianlan couldn’t see him either.

He didn’t even know where he was, and he was not sure about his current state.

All he could think of were the flash of sword light that burst through the air like a waterfall at the end of the final battle of Changdao, the person in white who said sorry to him, and the fragrance and warmth on Qin Weibai’s body.

After that, it was the darkness.

The seemingly eternal, silent darkness.

Li Tianlan had no mind, feeling, or body. He didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Only silence and darkness were around him.

He couldn’t feel his existence at all. It was no exaggeration to say that he had disappeared entirely. There was nothing left in the world.

What awakened him was the sound of running water, which gradually dispelled the silence. His blood began to flow again, and his heart beat slowly, but his consciousness was still in the deepest darkness.

The light began to shine.

An immense amount of white mist began to fill every dark corner. It grew thicker and harsher.

Li Tianlan finally opened his eyes.

The white mist existed in both his mind and sight. There was nothing to be seen but the white mist.

He felt his heartbeat and breathing. Everything was there.

But at this moment, he was not sure whether he was still alive.

A flat expanse of land was in the white mist.

Li Tianlan walked quietly. He had spent days and nights in the dark, desperate and fearful, so the environment before him failed to make his mood change a lot.

He instinctively wanted to get out of here.

As he walked, a great ma.s.s of white mist seemed to swarm into his body or go through his back.

The journey seemed long and yet short.

Li Tianlan moved forward.

The world was quiet.

The white mist kept gathering and dispersing. Li Tianlan seemed to see a door in a trance.

The door was narrow and closed right now. Shrouded in the white mist, it seemed to have an air of sacredness.

Li Tianlan walked over there in silence.

He pushed open the door in front of him.

The mist retreated like running water.

Li Tianlan saw the sunshine, the one wearing a black cloak standing in the sea of flowers, as well as the “beggar” who sat on the ground and was almost drowned in flowers.

Li Tianlan raised his eyebrows.

The thick mist swirled around him, and the morning sun shed its light on the ground with a sweet smell. The autumn breeze blew over the flowers on the mountains and in the fields and stirred his white clothes. Standing outside the old gate of the temple, he smiled softly.

…

“You are…”

Military Counselor also saw Li Tianlan walking out of the gate.

His first reaction was not the surprise after he witnessed the miracle, but the undisguised astonishment.

He looked at Li Tianlan as if he had never seen him before.

“Military Counselor?” Li Tianlan said softly.

His voice was as soft and mild as the white mist that surged behind him, but it had the power to blot out the sky and cover the sun. There he stood, illusory and yet real.

Military Counselor couldn’t speak for a moment.

He had met Li Tianlan before.

But now, Li Tianlan was utterly a different person.

His face, voice, and clothes didn’t change, but now he seemed to be unspeakably perfect.

Yes, perfect.

Military Counselor had never seen such a perfect man.

It was ineffable temperament and demeanor. There he stood, looking the same as ever, but with a sense of perfect naturalness.

Perfect.

Looking at Li Tianlan, Military Counselor suddenly had a feeling that he could not bear to look away.

“Where is Little Bai?” Li Tianlan continued to speak.

…

Military Counselor abruptly came to his senses, but there seemed to be some hesitation in his eyes.

“The boss is already at the headquarters of Samsara Palace,” Military Counselor whispered after a moment’s hesitation.

…

That night, he saw Qin Weibai hand Li Tianlan over to Dawn and watch her turn around as well.

He could not understand such a move, but he could feel her determination and sadness when she turned around.

“This is Great Master Wuwei.”

He changed the subject quietly. “This time, it was the mysterious Deity in East Island and Great Master Wuwei who saved you jointly.”

Li Tianlan’s face changed at last, but there was still a kind of charming perfection in his every movement.

He walked quickly to Great Master Wuwei, as if in disbelief. “Great Master Wuwei?”

“We meet again.”

Great Master Wuwei, who at first was regarded as a beggar by Li Tianlan, raised his head. He wore a ragged ca.s.sock, which was torn apart into strips of cloth, and his eyes were calm and dim.

Li Tianlan’s eyes were calm, but with a sense of loss. He could not relate the old man in front of him to the great monk he had first met. He didn’t say thanks but looked at Great Master Wuwei carefully and asked, “Why did you save me, Master?”

“The mandate of heaven chose me.”

“There’s no escape,” Great Master Wuwei whispered.

Li Tianlan didn’t understand, so he kept silent.

The light in Great Master Wuwei’s eyes grew dimmer, but it never went out. He looked at Li Tianlan and asked, “How do you feel now?”

Li Tianlan moved his body casually. In a moment, there was an enormous crack in the air around him. Even Military Counselor had to back off a bit.

“I’m still in the Invincible Realm.”

Li Tianlan gave a self-mocking laugh, and there was some reluctance in his eyes. He shook his head and added, “I only hoped I could survive.”

“It’s ok.”

Great Master Wuwei’s tone was flat and confident. For Li Tianlan, to stay in the Invincible Realm was not a good thing now. But the so-called hidden danger would eventually disappear.

He could regather the dragon vein for Zhongzhou State and usher the prosperous times for Zhongzhou State again. At the end of his life, the last thing he needed to do was to build up strength for the dragon vein.

Li Tianlan’s problem was not a problem.

Because now, he was the dragon vein of Zhongzhou State!

The stronger the dragon vein, the stronger the Zhongzhou State, the stronger Li Tianlan.

His way of building up strength for the dragon vein was brutal and subtle, but the most effective.

It could be said that from the moment Li Tianlan opened his eyes, Xuan Xuanzi, the legendary Taoist priest, had already lost.

The overall situation of Zhongzhou State had been decided.

One in the light and the other in the dark.

The divine dragon’s head could be seen.

But that was not the case for its tail.